Sweden Sells UAVs to China

The Swedish CybAero will sell unmanned helicopters to China, in an order estimated at $7.5 million. The helicopters is destined to be operated from ships by the Chinese costumer

UAV APID 60

CybAero, a vertical lift UAV developer, said the Swedish Agency for Non-Proliferation and Export Controls approved export permits for a $7.5 million order a Chinese customer placed for its APID 60 unmanned helicopter, the company’s largest order, as published on ainonline website.

The approval of the transaction seems puzzling given the fact that similar transactions by Israeli manufacturers were vetoed by the US.

In a press release, CybAero said the end user will operate the APID60 from ships. The company will begin deliveries later this year.

“We are extremely excited about the confidence we received from the customer. This is our biggest-ever order and proof that we are an interesting provider in a geographic market that is rapidly growing in use and needs of our system,” said Mikael Hult, CybAero CEO

CybAero, based in Linköping, Sweden, was formed in 2003 from a research collaboration between Linköping University and the Swedish Defense Research Agency dating to 1992. The company became profitable in 2010.

The APID 60 is the successor to CyAero’s earlier APID 55, which the company developed with funding and technical assistance from Saab Aerosystems. In 2004, CybAero signed its first major contract to supply seven APID 55 systems to the UAE armed forces.\